In March this year, the first India-Africa military exercise will take place and in parallel there will be a conclave of Army Chiefs.
This exercise is expected to further deepen the military cooperation between India and the African continent.
Responding to a question from the media related to military diplomacy at the annual press conference before Army Day on January 15, Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande said that “The exercise with African countries will take held in March and the venue is Pune. Initially they will be at the platoon level and the scope of these exercises will increase.
India begins naval exercises with Mozambique and Tanzania
Last year (2022), after the adoption of the Gandhinagar Declaration in the second edition of the India-Africa Defense Dialogue on the sidelines of Defexpo 2022, the first trilateral naval exercise in history took place, which included the countries Tanzania, Mozambique and India. The focus was on expanding India’s defense partnership with the mainland, which is very important for maritime security, eradication and anti-piracy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India has contributed substantially to UN peacekeeping operations in the region, and has also been involved in capacity building and training of military personnel.
maritime cooperation
It has been previously reported that the two sides have increased their commitments, especially the navies of both sides, as well as the coast guards. The island states of the mainland African, as well as India, have also established an inclusive regional maritime security infrastructure. Financial Express Online has reported in 2022 that India has helped build coastal surveillance of the Indian Ocean region as part of its development cooperation. Likewise, the prospects of Indian defense exports to Africa are an added value in the growing partnership. This country is strategically located and interactions occur at the operational level on a regular basis.
Financial Express Online has previously reported that disciplines such as helicopter operations, casualty evacuation drills, asymmetric threat management, vessel and fire fighting, as well as search and capture drills were carried out between October 26 and 28. on board (VBSS), and between October 28 and 29 the port phase and the maritime phase.
INS Tarkash took part in the trilateral exercise during a visit to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and later also participated in a bilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise with the African nation. The exercise took place in two phases. Both parties shared best practices and improved interoperability.
The island states of the mainland Africanas well as India, have also established an inclusive regional maritime security infrastructure
In 2003, both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in matters of defending, which provides a general framework. This helps both parties to further enhance their cooperation in the defense sector, especially in the field of training. So far, almost 400 members of the Tanzanian Armed Forces have received training at Indian institutes. The first India-Tanzania Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) was held in New Delhi in 2021.
Note: The article was originally published in English in the Financial Express, and its reproduction in Spanish is done with the direct authorization of the author. Link to the original article:https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/first-ever-india-africa-military-exercise-in-march-will-be-at-platoon-level-army-chief/2946436/
